by L'Exception, on December 8, 2022
L'Exception goes to meet its clients. Today we meet Julie Prost and Laura Podjarny, founders of Impala Avocats, both clients of L'Exception.
Laura: We are Laura and Julie, both 38 years old, fifteen days apart, both lawyers for 11 years. We founded Impala Avocats which we co-created six years ago. We work in the tech ecosystem, innovative and impactful start-ups.
Laura: We've been friends for twenty years and were in college together in our first year of law school in Strasbourg. We realized that our skills were complementary during our respective professional practices and proposed to Julie to become partners after I set up my own business almost 10 years ago.
Laura:After almost a short year of failed brainstorming, I woke up one morning listening to Tame Impala, one of my favorite bands, and there, flash: I said to myself, this is Impala! I called Julie who liked it too, and it became our name. It's also the chevrolet and the animal, pretty cool.
Laura: Of being self-made women. Starting from nothing, we have built through our energy, will and desire a superb firm. My greatest pride is to be where I am without any right of way.
Julie: We are proud of our clients, our ethics, our values and our team.
Laura: We're kind of shrinks (laughs!). We are in the confidence, and strategy help in delicate areas for executives who have to manage many interlocutors with whom they have to mask problems on the front lines.
Julie: The decisions we make in companies are not always rational, they mix law and strategy. The negotiations are sometimes very hard psychologically. Sometimes there are political stakes. These are the most interesting aspects of the job.
Laura: Communication. Tolerance.
Julie: Mutual admiration. The ability to question each other, and there are no taboo subjects between us. We don't stick our heads in the sand.
Laura: Yes, I need to stay active, I run ten miles a day. It relaxes me, it calms me down. I even have battles with my clients, about how many steps we've taken in a day
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Laura: We are a fairly conventional profession. I wore a sequin dress a few years ago to a meeting, the clients made remarks like "you look like a figure skater"! We are in an image business too, style and fashion are important.
However, we can afford to break this image of the lawyer who wears a suit like in the American tv shows, because we are in a cooler ecosystem, that of tech and start ups. We can bring our personal touch and love fashion in all its happier aspects.
Julie: We are also in a transition. Not too much and not enough. Not sportswear, but not too rigid. The in-between is to be able to make a wardrobe. For me, I like clean lines, simple curves, it keeps a rigor and a little bit nice.
Laura: I was the first, I was a fan of the boutique.
Julie: For me L'Exception is the designer piece that you can't find anywhere else. These are select pieces that I found at L'Exception. I also like to give gift cards to my friends.
Julie: With Laura, we had stayed in touch, we had a coffee at the old boutique of the Canopée des Halles. While discussing the work, Laura asked me if I wanted to work with her. A beautiful adventure started there!
Laura: First of all, it's an impactful collection, we're sensitive to it. Also, it's a clean line, it's basics that we like to have, and the feel is super nice. Plus I love the cashmere turtleneck, it's perfect for me, I can wear it with everything. It's the centerpiece of my wardrobe!
Laura is wearing the cashmere sweater and Julie the wool twist sweater L'Exception Paris.
Can you introduce yourselves?
Laura: We are Laura and Julie, both 38 years old, fifteen days apart, both lawyers for 11 years. We founded Impala Avocats which we co-created six years ago. We work in the tech ecosystem, innovative and impactful start-ups.
What led you to join forces?
Laura: We've been friends for twenty years and were in college together in our first year of law school in Strasbourg. We realized that our skills were complementary during our respective professional practices and proposed to Julie to become partners after I set up my own business almost 10 years ago.
Why the name Impala Avocats?
Laura:After almost a short year of failed brainstorming, I woke up one morning listening to Tame Impala, one of my favorite bands, and there, flash: I said to myself, this is Impala! I called Julie who liked it too, and it became our name. It's also the chevrolet and the animal, pretty cool.
Is there anything you are particularly proud of in your journey?
Laura: Of being self-made women. Starting from nothing, we have built through our energy, will and desire a superb firm. My greatest pride is to be where I am without any right of way.
Julie: We are proud of our clients, our ethics, our values and our team.
In Laura's office, there is a couch to lie on. Is a lawyer also a shrink ?
Laura: We're kind of shrinks (laughs!). We are in the confidence, and strategy help in delicate areas for executives who have to manage many interlocutors with whom they have to mask problems on the front lines.
Julie: The decisions we make in companies are not always rational, they mix law and strategy. The negotiations are sometimes very hard psychologically. Sometimes there are political stakes. These are the most interesting aspects of the job.
What is the recipe for making a duo last twenty years?
Laura: Communication. Tolerance.
Julie: Mutual admiration. The ability to question each other, and there are no taboo subjects between us. We don't stick our heads in the sand.
Laura, I see you have a treadmill in your office, is it important to you to work out at work?
Laura: Yes, I need to stay active, I run ten miles a day. It relaxes me, it calms me down. I even have battles with my clients, about how many steps we've taken in a day
Let's talk about your relationship with fashion. For your profession, we don't necessarily think about fashion, what is precisely your relationship to it?
Laura: We are a fairly conventional profession. I wore a sequin dress a few years ago to a meeting, the clients made remarks like "you look like a figure skater"! We are in an image business too, style and fashion are important.
However, we can afford to break this image of the lawyer who wears a suit like in the American tv shows, because we are in a cooler ecosystem, that of tech and start ups. We can bring our personal touch and love fashion in all its happier aspects.
Julie: We are also in a transition. Not too much and not enough. Not sportswear, but not too rigid. The in-between is to be able to make a wardrobe. For me, I like clean lines, simple curves, it keeps a rigor and a little bit nice.
You are both customers at L'Exception, do you remember who was the first customer?
Laura: I was the first, I was a fan of the boutique.
Julie: For me L'Exception is the designer piece that you can't find anywhere else. These are select pieces that I found at L'Exception. I also like to give gift cards to my friends.
By the way, it was at L'Exception that the Impala story began?
Julie: With Laura, we had stayed in touch, we had a coffee at the old boutique of the Canopée des Halles. While discussing the work, Laura asked me if I wanted to work with her. A beautiful adventure started there!
What did you think of the L'Exception Paris sweaters, which you are wearing today?
Laura: First of all, it's an impactful collection, we're sensitive to it. Also, it's a clean line, it's basics that we like to have, and the feel is super nice. Plus I love the cashmere turtleneck, it's perfect for me, I can wear it with everything. It's the centerpiece of my wardrobe!
Are you a client at L'Exception and would like to participate in our meetups?
Sign up on our email contact@lexception.com
Sign up on our email contact@lexception.com
